Two Franklin-based companies were involved in preparing Alicia Keys’ piano for the national anthem at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans on Sunday.

Seale Keyworks prepared the piano for Keys’ performance. And 12-Point SignWorks applied the vinyl wrap that temporarily changed the instrument’s color from black to a matte silver resembling aluminum.

“It looked amazing,” said Murray Johns, who launched 12-Points four years ago. “It was such a thrill to see such a beautiful piece of work on television.”

The collaboration began with piano manufacturer Yamaha Entertainment Group, which has a Nashville presence. Seale, whose clients have included Elton John and Ringo Starr, was responsible for preparing, shipping and setting up Keys’ piano.

It sent the piano to 12-Point for the vinyl wrap, which took two employees the better part of a day to apply, Johns said.

It’s not the first time the company has temporarily changed a piano’s color: It turned one from black to white for Gaylord Opryland when it reopened in 2010 after undergoing flood repairs.

At last year’s Super Bowl, Madonna’s halftime show featured contributions from another two Middle Tennessee companies. DWP Live, based in Smyrna, projected Vogue magazine covers and other images in the area in front of the stage. LMG Design Studio, based in Nashville, helped design the show and provided LED stage lighting.

The advertisement, featuring a white office worker talking in a Jamaican accent to cheer up his co-workers, has some commentators crying foul.

The harshest criticism came from New York Times columnist Charles Blow, who criticized the ad during an appearance on CNN.

“I don’t like it at all,” Blow said during the CNN appearance. “It’s like blackface with voices.”

Rochelle Newman-Carrasco, chief hispanic marketing strategist at Walton Isaacson, an African-American, Gay/Lesbian and Hispanic agency, told USA Today she was troubled with the ad as well.

“What happens in this ad is that the culture becomes a punch line, and that is offensive,” she said.

This year, many advertisers have started releasing commercial early to try and general more buzz among consumers. The minute-long ad will cost VW nearly $7.6 million to air during the big game, so an early release can increase the ability to get the most bang for their buck.

Still, the early release can be a double-edged sword for advertisers like VW, which operates a major auto facility in Chattanooga.

On the one hand, getting a commercial to go viral before the Super Bowl is a big win, regardless if the commercial gets leaked before the official airtime. After all, it’s all about spreading the word about your product and gaining attention, right?

On the other hand, if a Super Bowl commercial bombs during the game, viewers tend to have a short attention span because they are turning their attention to the next commercial or, gasp, the actual game. But if a commercial bombs in early release, it can become a bigger target for critics and the negative buzz can last longer than normal.

For the company’s part, VW is standing behind the ad campaign and says it has no plans to pull it from CBS’ broadcast on Sunday night.